Black and White and Red All Over
by Lilawisp
Summary: Just in time for new snowfall.


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any of C.S. Lewis' lovely characters. And I know I've seen this several times already (it has really caught on) but here's my version: I've read so many fics on this site that I can't separate real life from fiction or canon from fanon. If something looks too similar (probably a bit of a bad start, hehe) send me a PM and I'll get it fixed pronto.

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><p>As all children know, there are many types of snow days. There are days when the sky is grey and only a few flakes dust the ground. There are also days when the outside world is so beautifully white, yet so terribly cold. Those are the days you spend huddled near the fire, telling stories and sipping hot cocoa. The kind of snow days that children await for most anxiously are the days when the sun shines and the snow is good and wet. These days are perfect for building all sorts of snowmen and snow castles or going sledding with friends. You can spend an entire afternoon throwing snowballs and ducking from those thrown back at you until you are wholly exhausted and lie down to make snow angels.<p>

It was on one of these days that Peter Pevensie, High King of Narnia and Emperor of the Lone Islands, could be found lying under a tall pine in the thick, soft snow. He had succumb to his earlier tiredness and fallen asleep.

He was dreaming of autumn and riding through the Western Woods on his grey mare. The leaves crunched under the speedy hooves and the air smelt clean and earthy. The path narrowed as they galloped along. They came around a corner and leaped over an old, brown log, only to have Peter be hit in the face by a low-hanging branch. The dancing colours faded to black as the young King was pulled out of slumber.

Being not quite awake, Peter tried to remember where he was. Ah yes, he and Lucy had gone out to play while Edmund was busy with the Owls and Susan entertained their guests from Archenland. They had, in fact, been having a snowball fight and then they decided to …

SCHWAP _kwish kwish_

Now Peter was much more awake. Not only did his cheek now sting but it was quite cold. The branch in his dream wasn't really a branch but something else that felt like smooth satin. And now the non-branch was spreading something very wet on his face, like you and I might spread raspberry jam on toast.

"Oh, _HONK_, why does the snow keep going away?!"

Peter opened his eyes and looked to the side to see a small female Penguin slapping the tips of her wings frantically against her sides.

"Flipper, you're not pushing it on hard enough," she said.

The one addressed as Flipper was another little Penguin on his other side. He was also the owner of the wing that, at this very moment, was rubbing the High King's face.

"I'm trying Flapper." Peter had deduced that the two little Penguins were siblings when another voice called out.

"I got more pretty snow! _Oof!_" It was a third Penguin who had just tripped and promptly fell down on his tummy.

"Ah Flopper, you dropped it!" Flipper cried.

"Sorry," Flopper, a most rotund little Penguin, bashfully replied. He started picking himself up and waddling over to…

SCHWAP _kwish kwish_

"No, no, Flipper, the black stuff doesn't go on his nose!" Flapper exclaimed. Peter, whose nose now stung considerably and smelt very strange, finally found control of his voice.

"Uh, pardon me, good cousins, but what are you doing?"

Three little beady-eyed faces stared down at him. It was Flapper who spoke up.

"Why, making you an Emperor, of course."

"An emperor?"

"Yes, Mama said you are '_The High King and an Emperor too'_," Flipper recited.

"But you don't look very much like an Emperor," Flopper quietly continued.

"So, we are helping you to look like one," Flapper finished.

"I don't look like an emperor?" Three little heads shook side-to-side.

"Oh no," said Flapper, "Not at all. Emperors are supposed to look like us."

Peter was slightly confused but then noted that these particular Penguins were what one calls Emperor Penguins. He then shifted his head to see his torso completely covered in snow and his arms pinned down with dark mud. He couldn't help but smile despite his predicament and so humoured the excited trio.

"Well, thank you, my good cousins. I do feel much more like an Emperor now." The little Emperor Penguins all smiled at him; well, as best as penguins can. Peter was just about to get up when he felt something slimy slide across the top of his chest and down the side of his neck.

"Oh, there you are Archie," exclaimed Flipper picking up a small, silver sardine. "You are a very naughty pet for hiding from me for so long."

The fish had quite obviously passed, but Peter did not have the heart to mention the fact. He heard a giggle and spied his youngest sister from behind an oak. Suddenly, there was a loud honking, as a much larger Penguin waddled into the clearing.

"Flipper, Flapper, Flopper! What are you doing? Leave his Majesty alone and come back for lunch!" cried Felicity Emperor, mother of the little Penguins.

"Yes, Mama," the three replied, sliding towards an icy igloo on a nearby hill.

"Goodbye, Emperor Peter," Flopper quickly put in and soon they were gone. Peter shook his head and Lucy came out to pull him up. They grasped arms and started walking back towards the Cair.

"Come on, Peter. Cook has got some warm chocolate made for us."

"Alright Lu," the High King chuckled.

The two had just passed by some evergreens when Susan came round walking with several of the young Archen ladies. She quirked an eyebrow at her brother as the girls began giggling into their gloves and giving him glances. Peter, who was no more than sixteen, found this all rather embarrassing. His face heated to a deep reddish-pink, aided by his already cold cheeks. The ladies continued on their way, leaving Lucy to recover from her own fit of giggles and Peter marching ahead.

When they had returned home, the court Animals didn't quite know what to make of their King. On the other hand, His Majesty's brother found much humour in the situation. The younger king was able to elicit a groan from the eldest royal, when he quickly piped up:

** "**What is black and white and red all over?"

The answer to the riddle, my friends? Why, blushing Emperors, of course.

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><p>AN: Meh, probably funnier in my head. Just thought I'd add these little birdies to the already large amount of adorable little Narnians this fandom has created. Inspired by a tissue-box I bought from Shoppers. No joke.

I hoped you enjoyed it. Please leave a review. (Please no hate. Constructive criticism gratefully accepted.) Also, feel free to leave me any prompts for another story.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!


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